Haunting in Crystal Cove
by DCUnitedFanfics
Summary: Velma's father dies in a car crash during her science fair contest. A year later after his death, strange things begin to happen in the once peaceful town of Crystal Cove. Ghosts, monsters, and ghouls are terrorising everyone and it's up to her and her new friends to stop them and find out if her father's death was an accident or not. Taking place in 1969 where the gang first meet
1. Chapter 1

**This story is going to be more like a horror story and Velma is the main character in the story. The characters are going to be very different than the counterparts from before.**

 **Fumi Nikaido as Velma Dinkley**

 **Rose Leslie as Daphne Blake**

 **RJ Cyler as Norville "Shaggy" Rogers**

 **Dominic Sherwood as Frederick "Fred" Jones**

* * *

OCTOBER 30, 1969

11:59 pm.

Velma knows she should be in bed at this hour but her obsession on finishing this science project before tomorrow is really important to her.

"Are you looking for this?" she turns her head around to her father Dale standing in the doorway with the screwdriver in his hand. For a moment, Velma thought she might be in trouble for being up so late but then, he smiles and she smiles back. "You know, your mom is not going to be happy if she finds out I'm letting you stay up all night to finish that thing."

"I know," she says and he gives her the screwdriver. "Thanks Dad."

Velma is thankful for having her dad around. He may not know much about science but he does know about helping and fixing. A lot of people criticize her and her parents because of how she looks nothing like her mother Angie and father Dale. Mainly because she's not really their daughter.

She was adopted from Japan fourteen years ago. She never had a name in Japan. Her real mother died after giving birth to her and her real father left her for adoption. She doesn't know who her real father is but prefers the one she has now.

"So, is it almost done?"

"I just need to adjust a few things first," she says, "Then I'm going to give a test run. It's not easy to build an electromagnetic levitation device."

"Electromagwhatagain?" he asks.

"It's basically an anti-gravity machine," she says before screwing the last bolt into the contraption she worked on for a week. She grabs the remote which she will use to activate the electromagnetic levitation device. However, when she presses the button on the remote, the machine doesn't turn on. Velma presses it again and again but the device she built wouldn't activate.

"Shit," she curses.

"Velma Daisy Dinkley, watch your language."

"Sorry. It's just that this science fair means so much for me and I really want to win first prize," she tells him. She also spent her lunch money on the supplies for the device, meaning the she spent the entire week without eating at school. But she will never tell this to her father. He could have a heart attack.

She tosses the remote aside. "It doesn't work."

"Okay, how about we just start with something simple and less headache inducing?" he says. He knows me too well. Velma hs been doing this science project for more than two weeks and it _has_ been having headaches. But if she doesn't give the judges something impressive, she'll never win that first prize. "I think I might have something that will blow the judges' mind."

"Like what? It better not be a baking-soda volcano, I've done that before and it's pretty lame."

"You'll see," he says, "I've done it before on my first science fair."

"Did you win first place?"

"Um, I got the stomach flu on the day of the science fair and couldn't present the project to the judges," he says.

"Oh."

Dale gives her the tools that she needs: powdered sugar, baking soda, sand, a metal plate, measurement spoons, measuring cup, alcohol and a box of matches. These are the ingredients to make a black snake. Velma frowns at her father, not knowing what he's talking about.

They go outside in the backyard so Dale can demonstrate. He first pours the sand on the plate, mix the powdered sugar with the baking soda and pours it on top of the sand. He then pours a bit of alcohol over the contents and uses the lighter to set it on fire. A giant black worm-like thing suddenly emerges from the contents. Her father calls it the Black Snake. Velma jumps back and squeals in surprise.

"Oh my God, that is so disgusting," she says but immediately embraces her father. "This is perfect! Thank you so much, Daddy! You're awesome!"

"Hey, I want you to win the science fair," he says, "And you're going to win. You want to know why?...Because you are the smartest girl in the whole wide world. If your brain got any bigger, it wouldn't fit in that skull of yours because of all that knowledge you have. And because of that, I know you're going to end up doing great things."

Velma smiles and hugs her father again. "Thanks, Dad. You really are the best."

* * *

 **OCTOBER 31, 1969**

 **7:35 p.m.**

It's almost eight o' clock. The science fair is almost starting and her father is not here yet. She goes to the principal's office and asks the secretary if she could make a phone call. The secretary, with reluctance, gives the phone to Velma and allows her to call.

She waits several minutes before her father finally answers the phone. " _Hello?_ "

"Dad, the science fair is about to start," she tells him, "Where are you?"

" _Oh god, Velma, I'm so sorry, I forgot_ ," he says, " _What time does the science fair start?_ "

"At eight. It's 7:35 p.m.," she says and begs him not to be late. "I don't want you to miss out. Please, Dad?"

She's been anxious since this morning. Marcie Fleach made a plasma ball which is far superior to the small project Velma's father helped make. She could wipe the floor with Marcie's messy hair with the electromagnetic levitation device if it only worked. It's a pity it didn't. Perhaps the judges might like what she'll present to them. Perhaps not. Perhaps she'll win second or third prize. At least she tried. And thanks to her father, she has a a project to present to the judges.

However, her father is not here. He said he would be here at the science fair to see her and her project. But he's not.

" _Okay, listen, Velma. I'll be there. I promise_ ," he says, " _Maybe I might be a little late but I will be there to you show those judges your project, okay? Don't worry._ "

She sighs. Her face becomes heated and her hands shakes nervously. "Okay, Dad."

" _I'll see you soon, kiddo. Love you_."

She nods despite still being irritated with him for being late. "I love you too." And hangs up the phone. She then hurries back to the gym where the science fair is taking place, as the judges are already announcing its start.

* * *

Dale Dinkley continues driving his way to the school down a deserted lane with dead trees at either side of the road. He looks at his watch every now and then to look at the time. It's already eight o' clock. The science fair has already started. Velma will be very irritated for not being there on time. Irritated? Yes. Angry? No. Velma never gets angry at her dad no matter how much she tries. Knowing his daughter, he knows she doesn't do angry.

He turns on the radio and The Archie's new song _Sugar, Sugar_ starts playing as the silence in the car got a little annoying, especially when he's now driving into a sudden fog that just appeared out of nowhere. He's not going to let a little fog get in his way to arrive at his daughter's science fair, the most important event of her life. For many kids, it's just to get a good grade but not Velma. Velma is a different kind girl. Velma has always been fascinated by science and mathematics. She always wants to solve mysteries in science and things that scientists can't explain. Dale watched her devour books like candy. The first question she asked her father when she read a dinosaur book was "What are bones made of?". That was a question Dale couldn't answer since he wasn't a scientist himself, just a curator at Crystal Cove History Museum. He knows history, not science. Yet, he's still proud of having a daughter so smart, hard-working, active and ambitious as Velma.

When The Moody Blues' _Night in White Satin_ starts playing, the radio suddenly turns off.

"What the hell?" he asks himself as he tries to turn on the radio again but it won't play which is odd. He had that thing fixed yesterday.

The radio suddenly turns on again. However, it keeps switching from station to station without him touching it. It stops to a station where he hears a whispering voice echoing through.

When he looks up, he sees a white figure standing in the middle of the road.

"Holy shit!" he shouts.

He turns to the side and his car drives off the road just as he almost hit the person. His car rolls down the slope. He tries to hit the brakes but his car crashes into one of the trees, his face smashing into the steering wheel.

* * *

9:55 p.m.

After examining the projects, the judges are getting ready to announce the winner of this year's science fair.

"Well, as far as we can see, there are at least three projects that I enjoyed very much," the third judge, which is the head judge of the science fair, "Marcie Fleach's Plasma Ball, Gibby Norton's home-made robot and Velma Dinkley's Black Snake."

"So, do we have a winner?" Principal Quinlan asks.

The judges nod and give the three envelopes to her. The envelopes clearly say First, Second and Third Prize. Velma takes a deep breath. She is very nervous about it. She looks at the corner of her eyes and sees Daphne Blake among the crowd with her boyfriend Fred Jones. Daphne Blake, the most popular girl in Crystal Cove High School and head cheerleader. Frederick Jones, the most popular boy in Crystal Cove High School and head soccer ball player. It's no surprise that every student are obligated to participate in science fairs here for their grades but the Blakes and the Jones managed to pay the school to keep the kids out of these laborious activities. At least, that's what the other girls said. If that's the case, what are they doing here then?

Daphne Blake immediately catches Velma looking at her and smiles, giving her a thumbs up. Velma looks at her in surprise for a moment before returning her attention to the principal who's about to announce the winner of this year's science fair.

Her heart starts pounding when Principal Quinlan opens the Third Place envelope. "So the third place goes to...Gibby Norton."

Her heart eases up a bit at the mention of Gibby Norton winning for place for his robot. It looked like a good project. Not good enough for first prize though. Now the moment of truth is coming. Who will be second and who will be first?

Velma holds her mother's hand tightly and hopes for the worst to be over.

Principal Quinlan opens the Second Place envelope. It's just Velma and Marcie now. "And second place goes to...Marcie Fleach. That means that first place goes to Velma Dinkley."

Velma stumbles back, nearly passing out from the shock but her mother holds her eyes. Velma straightens up as the entire school claps. She sees Marcie glaring at her viciously before storming away from the gym. Velma knows that she's in serious trouble with Marcie. She may have messy greasy hair and smells like hot dog water but she's really strong. She punched a boy's nose bloody for dumping her math books into the trash can. Right now, Velma doesn't care whether Marcie will beat her afterwards. She's just glad to have won first place for the first time _ever_.

It's too bad that her father never made it to school to see her win. She sighs in disappointment but continues to smile as the judges and the principal gather around her to have her picture taken along with her science project.

After the fair, Velma and her mother start to pack up so they can go home.

"My baby won first place, yes," Angie says and kisses her head, "Marcie Fleach is furious." She notices Velma's disappointed expression, however. "What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy to win."

"I am," Velma says sadly, "I just...Dad isn't here."

"Oh honey." She puts her arm around Velma's shoulder and kisses her head again. "I'm sure he wanted to be here for you. Maybe he has an apology cake for you at home."

"Probably bought it at the bakery," she laughs, "He can't bake to save his life."

The two laugh, only to be cut short by Sheriff Bronson Stone approaching them with his partner. However, they don't carry the usual sour faces Velma always sees them with. They both carry a grave expression on their faces.

"Sheriff Stone, hi," Angie says with her usual smile, "I didn't know you were into science fairs."

"Unfortunately, Mrs. Dinkley, that's not why we're here," Sheriff Stone says. Velma and her mother look at him in confusion. "We have some bad news...It's your father, Velma."

Tears were already filling her eyes before the sheriff could tell her the news. She knew why he never arrived to the fair. Because he's dead.

* * *

 **Let me know if you guys want more.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 is up. Sorry for the delay.**

 **As I said before, these are different versions of the Scooby-Doo gang so this is a warning to all of you. Please don't get pissed.**

* * *

 **RJ Cyler as Norville 'Shaggy' Rogers**

 **Katherine Langford as Marcie Fleach/Hot Dog Water**

 **Linda Cardellini as Angela Dinkley**

 **Sterling K. Brown as Colton Rogers**

 **Lidya Jewett as Maggie Rogers**

 **Seth Green as Dale Dinkley**

 **Indiana Evans as Alice May**

 **Alexander Ludwig as Gary Stevens**

 **Odeya Rush as Kate Marsh**

* * *

 **October 7, 1970**

When leaving your own home in city and moving to a new town you don't even know about, there are many things that can go through a person's head. Some can get excited about starting a new life, making new friends and find something they never found in their own home. Others can get angry because they'll be away from what they already have, like old friends, a favourite school or any thing you loved about your old home. In Shaggy's case, he's shitting his pants.

Since his parents' divorce two weeks ago, his father couldn't stop talking about moving back to his hometown in California and now they're driving past the welcoming sign. Crystal Cove. His father Colton's childhood home. Shaggy has seen black-and-white photographs of the town his father kept in an album, and there were many stories told about it. One of them is how the town was founded by Spanish conquistadors led by a man named Fernando El Aguirre hundred of years ago. Crystal Cove's history seems very interesting but Shaggy isn't really into history.

Shaggy sits in the passenger's seat while his little sister, Maggie, is sitting in the back looking just as bored as he is as Colton drives the yellow 1967 Buick down the empty road with nothing but trees at either side.

"So, we're moving into a town full of white people?" he asks anxiously.

"You were in a school full of white people back in Ohio," Colton says.

"Yeah, but I knew those people," he says. He was in a Catholic school in Ohio. He's going to a public school in a town he doesn't know. There's a difference. In public schools, there are not much rules for students to follow. They basically do whatever they want. Also, Shaggy doesn't know anyone in Crystal Cove High School. He had friends back in Ohio. Here, he has no one, except Maggie but she's going to an elementary school since she's nine years old, "Todd. Samantha. Bernie. They were my friends."

"You'll make new friends here, Norville, don't worry," Colton says, "Crystal Cove is a very nice town full of very nice people. And also, not everyone here is white. You have your uncle and two cousins. My old friend Mike. He's a bus driver at Crystal Cove High School. I'm sure he'll help you out if you need any help with school."

"I don't see how a bus driver is going to be helpful if his only job is to drive a bus," Shaggy says.

"Trust me on this. I know that things have been rough since your mom left us but we're all going to get through this together. You, your old man and your little sister."

They make a right turn an avenue where the house are two or three storied colonial with triangle roofs, porches and screen doors. The house Shaggy sees, as the car slows down, is Prairie styled with a red gabled roof, yellow wooden walls and white windows. Shaggy remembers seeing a house like that in one of the pictures in photo albums as he and his father packed their things.

"Hey, Dad, is that your house?" he asks.

Colton nods and smiles. "Yeah, that was my childhood house. Me and your uncle grew up in that house and so did your grandfather and his father and all the fathers before him."

However, Shaggy notices a blue Fiesta car parked on the ramp outside the garage and sees a white-skinned woman with wavy brown hair and brown eyes wearing a colorful paisley shirt and blue overalls.

"Um, dad, I think someone is already leaving in there," he says, pointing at the woman on the porch.

Colton frowns before smiling. "Oh yeah. I think that's Angela Dinkley. She used to go to my high school when I was your age."

"How do you know?" It's been many years since his father graduated from high school. How would he know what the Dinkley would look like now? How would he know it's her?

"Because she still wears overalls," he says, "Angela Dinkley just loves her overalls."

"Okay... So. If Angela Dinkley is living in your house, where are we going to live?"

Colton points at a house just two houses away from the Dinkley's house. Shaggy's eyes widen. "You've got to be kidding me?"

Shaggy sees a three-storied house with light grey walls, white-framed windows and dark grey shingled triangular roofs. The yard has dead brown grass behind a black metal gate. Dead trees stand at either side of the house with crows already nesting on the branches that hang like sharp claws, cawing and flapping their wings.

"Dad, please tell me this is a joke," Shaggy says.

"Did you know your uncle and I used to think that house was haunted when we were kids?" he says, "An elderly couple used to live their years before I was born and it's been empty after they died. We used to go inside and pretend we were hunting ghosts?"

Shaggy sighs. It's not a joke. They're actually going to live in that house. Has he ever seen _Night of the Living Dead_? _The Haunting_? _The House of Usher_? _House on Haunted Hill_? "I can see why. The place is creepy as hell. Why did you even by that house?"

"Because it was a cheap price," he says.

"I want the big rooms," Maggie says. Shaggy looks over his seat at her. Is she for real? Is she not seeing the eerie-looking house with dead trees and Alfred Hitchcock birds living there?

Shaggy takes a good look at the house. "I swear. If I see something in the shadows, I'm putting a cross on every door in the house, I'm putting holy water on every window and if that doesn't work, I'm calling the local priest or an exorcist."

"It's going to be great for us here, I promise," Colton says.

 _I'll believe it when I see it_ , he thinks as Colton parks the car in front of the black gates.

Shaggy reaches into his shirt and pulls out a small silver cross necklace from beneath the fabric. _God, deliver us from evil. For the love of God, let there be no ghosts in that house. Please_.

* * *

High school can be a bitch sometimes. You have to deal with mean teachers, bullies, weird lunch at the cafeteria and pointless homework. For Daphne Blake, high school is like a walk in the park. Better than being at home. She can do whatever she wants in her school, since she's one of the most popular girls in Crystal Cove High School. She can be whoever she wants and dress however she wants, even if her outfits aren't popular high school girl material. Black leather pants and a purple shirt that would say I'M NOT ANTISOCIAL, I JUST DON'T LIKE YOU. It makes people wonder how she even ended up as the popular girl in the first place. She's the only wild child in the Blake family. Even her mother said so.

She opens her locker and takes out her Biology textbook. She doesn't like biology but she prays to get good grades to finally get out of this stupid town.

She is soon greeted by her two "friends" Alice May and Kate Marsh. She can't really call them friends since they mostly hang out in cheerleading practice and she doesn't talk to them much. Kate Marsh is a bit of an airhead. She's not dumb but she's not smart either. Alice May, on the other hand, is not. On the contrary, she's as sly and clever and mischievous.

"Hey, Daph," says Alice. She has wavy blonde hair and big bright blue eyes.

"Hey, Alice. Hey, Kate."

"Hey, Daph," Kate says. She's brunette with pink plump lips and blue-grey eyes.

"So, what are you going to dress up for Halloween, Daph?" Alice asks.

Daphne shrugs. "I don't even know if I'm going to the Halloween dance."

"Well, I'm dressing up as Marilyn Monroe," Alice says.

Daphne frowns. "Didn't she just die recently? Show a little respect, Alice."

"I am showing her respect. I'm dressing up as her in her honour."

"Well, I, for one, am gonna dress up as Cleopatra," Kate says.

She sighs. "Well, if I'm going to suffer at the Halloween Dance, might as well dress up as a witch and creep the living shit out of people."

Daphne suddenly sees Velma Dinkley enter the school hallway. It's been two months since she's seen her. Rumour has it that Velma and her mom went to New York a month after her father died. Now that she's back, Daphne is surprised to see how much the nerdy girl changed. Her long brown hair had been cut short to a bobcut. Instead of wearing the usual orange oversized sweaters, she's wearing a white blouse with a bow on front and instead of the red short skirt and orange stockings, she is wearing orange bellbottom pants. And the pointed glasses she wore were replaced with rectangular-shaped glasses. They look brand new. She looks less nerdy than she was.

"Oh my God, is that Velma Dinkley?" Kate asks in disbelief.

At this point, Daphne realizes a lot of people in the hall are staring at Velma Dinkley. Velma notices the staring, her eyes grow wide and quickly disappears into the next hall.

"Hmm, she hasn't changed that much," Alice says with a scornful look on her face. "She's still shy."

"Give her a break, Alice," Daphne says, rolling her eyes in annoyance, "Her dad just died."

Alice scoffs and folds her arms.

"It's really sad that she and her mom had to go to New York so soon," Kate says. Daphne always thought Kate is the stupidest in the cheerleading squad but at least she has more sympathy than Alice May. Alice is being a bit of a bitch. She has no sympathy towards Velma because she's not part of their group.

"Well, don't you think she needed a break?" Daphne says, "Staying here in Crystal Cove isn't really going to help her feel better. Especially with everyone giving her condolences every five fucking seconds."

"From what I heard, Velma _Donkey_ didn't go to New York for a mom/daughter vacation," Alice says. She always calls her _Donkey_ instead of Dinkley which sounds very immature. "I hear that she went to an institution in New York after having a mental breakdown."

"Velma Dinkley? A mental breakdown? Come on, Alice, don't make me laugh."

"Who knows? It's always the quiet ones who are the most violent," Alice says with a smirk.

Daphne rolls her eyes and dismisses her friends/teammates. "I'll see you guys at practice." She marches her way to the girl's bathroom where her boyfriend Fred Jones is waiting near the entrance, wearing a leather jacket, white polo shirt and an orange ascot.

"You got what I asked for?" she asks.

Fred slips Daphne a plastic bag full of cigarettes stuffed with green into her hand and she quickly sneaks it into her backpack.

"Remember, don't smoke them all in one day," he says.

"I know that," she says and grins at him mischievously, "I'm not _that_ crazy."

"I don't believe you."

She simply laughs it off and kisses Fred. "I'll see you soon."

She then heads off to the next class.

* * *

Fred heads over to the parking lot where Gary Stevens is waiting with Ethan and Gary's dog, Savage Death. A brown Great Dane covered in black spots and wearing a red spiky collar around his neck.

"Hey, Fred," Gary calls him over, waving his hand in the aire.

"Hey, Gary," he says as he walks over to his car and kneels to pet the Great Dane's head. "Hey bud."

"Careful with Savage. He can bite your hand off," Gary says mockingly.

Fred rolls his eyes. "Oh yeah, he's a real killing machine your dog," he says with sarcasm.

"So, you gave it to her?" Gary asks. "Did you tell her that she'll a lot potato chips afterwards?"

"Stop selling Daphne that shit," Fred says seriously, "You want to sell this shit? Deliver them yourself and get yourself another client. I'm not helping you waste my girlfriend."

Savage Death starts barking and growling at something across the parking lot but there's nothing there. Fred frowns. What is he barking at?

"She's doing it to herself - Will you shut the hell up!?" Gary snaps at his dog who won't stop barking at a cat walking through the parking lot. He kicks the dog in the ribs and the dog yelps, ceasing its barking "Stupid dog."

Fred puts his hand on Gary's shoulder. "Dude, stop that. Don't hurt him."

"He's my dog. I can do whatever I want...Hey, look at that. Is that Velma Dinkley?"

Fred looks up and watches Velma make her way for the library. She looks completely difference from last year. She's no longer wearing the orange sweater and red skirt she always wore. Instead, she's wearing a white blouse and orange bellbottoms, showing off a more curvy figure. Fred's widens. He's surprised that it's the same Velma Dinkley from Biology class. She's still wearing glasses but they don't look as ugly as the ones she had before.

"Yeah that's her," Fred says, still in amazement. She doesn't notice them watching her and disappears into the library with her school books. "That's Velma Dinkley."

"Holy shit," Gary said, "She got hot this year."

"Well, she's been in New York City for almost a year," Fred says, "Remember Amanda Picket? She was ugly as hell. She went to New York five years ago and came back looking like a swimsuit model."

Gary smirks while still staring at Velma. "Maybe the nerds should go to New York more often...You think Dinkley is available?"

Fred frowns at Gary. "Are you seriously thinking of asking her out?"

"Yeah."

"Dude, she just lost her dad last year. I don't think it's a good idea to ask her out right now."

"It's been a year, Fred. She's probably over it by now." He's talking like she lost a puppy or something and that's not cool, at all. "Besides, if she's still grieving, I'll make sure she has a shoulder to cry on."

Fred simply rolls his eyes. _Idiot_.

* * *

Velma is writing down notes from Algebra class in the library when Marcie Fleach enters the library and walks up to the table where Velma is sitting.

Velma looks up and is surprised to see how different Marcie looks now. Has she been gone for that long? It's only been a year. Marcie no longer had messy and tangled hair nor was her skin greasy and covered in pimples. Her brown hair is now curly and her face is smooth and pretty. And she's no longer wearing her glasses. Is she wearing contact lenses?

"Hey, Dinkley."

"Marcie?"

"Yeah," she says and sits across the table in front of her. " I ditched the glasses this year."

She did more than ditch the glasses. She's done a complete transformation. "You look great."

Marcie smiles awkwardly. "Thanks."

Velma prays Marcie isn't another member of the pity party. She's already tired of people telling her how sorry they are about her dad and that they're having support groups formed in Crystal Cove High School for her to join. She doesn't want to join any support group. She simply wants to continue with her life without everyone feeling sorry for her. She's had enough of that. That's why she and her mother went to New York, to get away from it all.

"I see that Gibby hasn't changed one bit," she says.

Gibby Norton, the same boy who won third place for the robot last year. Unlike Marcie, he hasn't changed one bit. He's still wearing those thick red-framed glasses, brown overalls and black bow-tie, and still has the same greasy black hair combed to the side. And unsurprisingly, he still has a crush on Velma. He's had a crush on her since elementary. To be honest, a lot of the boys in elementary had a crush on Velma. They always thought she was adorable with her thin eyes, bangs over her forehead and pigtails over her shoulders. Mostly, because she was the only Japanese girl in class. She felt odd being the center of attention. But the one kid that still has a crush on her to this day is Gibby Norton. He was the one kid in her elementary school that gave her flowers and left a heart-shaped paper on her desk. She still remembers the flower that had the bee and stung her hand. Oh yes, she remembers it very well. To this day, she avoids bees like the plague because of him.

"Let me guess. He's still asking you out?" Marcie asks. She knows about Gibby and his huge crush on Velma. Almost everyone in school knows. Crystal Cove is a small town and you get a lot of whisperers.

Velma nods. "Yeah. And I told him many times that I'm not really interested in going out with anyone yet."

"He's never going to stop until he hits college, you know."

"He'll probably find another Velma to crush on."

Marcie chuckles. "Trust me. There's never going to be another Velma Dinkley out there in the world."

She highly doubts it but she appreciate Marcie's efforts to make her smile.

"So are you going to participate in this year's science fair?" she suddenly asks.

Suddenly, Velma's heart sinks. Marcie asks it so casually, it's like she forgot Dale Dinkley died last year's science fair. The mention of it brings back memories. She wants to go back to the science fair but feels like she's not ready to return to it.

"I think I'll skip the science fair this year," she says.

Marcie frowns at her in confusion. "Seriously? But you love the science fair. Also, it's my next chance to beat you."

Velma simply sighs. "I'm just not ready to participate in another science fair right now. I'm sure you can beat me next year."

Marcie sighs in defeat. "All right. Maybe next year."

Velma watches her leave the library and sighs when she's finally gone. She knows how much it means to Marcie to beat Velma at the science fair. It wasn't fair that the judges picked her black snake thingy over Marcie's electric plasma ball thingy. But she's not ready to get back into the science fair. A she said, maybe next year.

Velma goes the librarian and asks if she has a copy of Harper Lee's _To Kill a Mockingbird_. She needs to catch up with the assignments, especially English class, one of the classes she likes the least. The paperback copy is in the literature shelves. She goes to the bookshelf where the book would be.

The moment she picks up the book, she feels something odd. A strange presence. She feels like someone standing behind her. She can even hear breathing in her ear. She tenses up a little, her eyes widened.

When she feels a few strands of her hair being lifted up, she quickly turns around. However, there's no one standing behind her. There's nothing there. _What was that?_

After picking out the book and registering it, she quickly leaves the library to get the eerie feeling of being watched out of her head, only to bump into Daphne Blake and accidentally knocks her bag down. The bag opens and notebooks and textbooks spill out and scatter onto the staircase.

"Shit," Daphne curses and bends down to pick up her bag.

"I'm so sorry," Velma apologizes quickly and helps her pick up the notebooks from the floor. She sees a small plastic zip-lock bag full of green cigarettes but Daphne quickly grabs the plastic bag and shoves it back into her backpack. _Were those cigarettes? Does Daphne Blake smoke?_

"It's fine," she says, "I wasn't looking where I was going anyways." She looks up to see who it is and smiles. "Ah, Velma Dinkley. Hi."

"Um, hi. I didn't think you'd recognize me with the...change of clothes and hair and all."

"Well, you're the only Asian girl in class so..." An awkward silence hangs between them. Velma looks at Daphne, biting her own lip in an uncomfortable fashion. Daphne closes her and hangs her head down. She knew what she said was a little out of line. "I'm sorry, that was inappropriate to say."

Velma simply shakes her head. "It's fine. I mean, you're right. I'm the only Japanese girl in the school so I'm not making a big deal out of it."

"No, really, it's not okay. At all. I shouldn't have said that," Daphne says, "So...you're back, I see."

Velma nods awkwardly. "Yeah. Mom and I just got back from New York a week ago."

"Oh. So how was New York? What's the city like? I hear that the city is more active by night than by day. Is it true?"

"Yeah, there's a lot of noise traffic at night in New York. It doesn't happen every day but it happens often." She had many sleepless nights at the hotel because of traffic and police sirens. She heard gunshots once.

"Bet you went to see the Statue of Liberty and Time Square, huh?"

"...Yeah, something like that."

Daphne smiles. "Good. That's good. I'm glad to see that you're okay. And...you look good. I like the new look you have right now. Um, not that I didn't like how you looked before. Your old look was okay. But you look a lot better now...This is getting awkward, isn't it?"

Velma nods in agreement. "A little."

"Listen, um, I know you had a lot of people tell you how sorry they are about your dad. I know you're probably sick of hearing it but I _do_ want to say how sorry I am about your dad."

"Yeah, I've had a few people tell me that already," Velma says, "I thought even the librarian said it, except she said it with her eyes and not her vocal cords."

Daphne chuckles. "...So, now that we're here talking right now, I was thinking that you, me and my friends can hang out together. You know, go to the movies, get a drink or two, skinny dip in at the Perla Beach, hang out at the mall and do some pedicures -."

Velma looks at her in surprise. "I'm sorry, but did you just say _skinny dip_? As in swim naked in open water?"

"Okay, I'll confess. I swim naked at the pool and I sometimes like to swim naked at the beach. And also, I hate pedicures and going at the mall. But don't tell anyone, okay? That's a secret," she says and puts a finger to her lips.

"Oh, um, okay. Sure. I won't tell anyone."

"So, what do you say? You wanna hang out? Maybe tonight? _House of Dark Shadows_ with Jonathan Frid and Kathryn Leigh Scott is still on theatres tonight."

"You watch horror films?" she asks. She never thought Daphne Blake as the type of girl who would watch horror films.

"Are you kidding me? I love them. Alice doesn't but _I_ do."

Velma appreciates Daphne's generous offer. But she doesn't feel like going anywhere but home today. "I would love to. But not tonight. I just got back, and my mom and I are still unpacking so..."

"Oh no. No, it's fine. It doesn't have to be tonight. It can be some other time."

"Okay. Thanks. I'll think about it."

"Sure. I'll see you soon." With that, Daphne continues her way into the library.

Velma continues her next class. She finds it odd that Daphne Blake talked to her. _Why is she being so nice to her?_ She knows the answer though. Because her father just died and she's being pitied on. She's not sure if you'll want to hang out with Miss Blake if that's the case.

* * *

She returns home after school at 4:00 p.m. Her mother, Angela, is unpacking a set of plates from the cardboard box where the word FRAGILE is written in black marker, her brown hair tied back in a bun and bags under her eyes after nights without sleep from the trip.

"Hey, mom." Velma puts down her backpack and shuts the screen door behind her.

Angela looks up and smiles slightly. "Hey, Velma, how was school?"

"It was fine. I got a lot of condolences from my teachers and classmates."

"...Oh."

Velma smiles at her mom. Coming back to Crystal Cove has not been easy for her either. Coming back to Crystal Cove is like coming back to the past. Her father's old friends offering condolences. Her mother's friends offering condolences. Her father's boss offering condolences. The pastor offering condolences. It's the last thing she and her mother want right now. They want to start off fresh. Start anew. And hopefully, her mom can find a new husband. She's still beautiful and young. Angela is only in her late thirties.

"What about you?" Velma asks.

"I was unpacking a few things here and there. I put away a few things in your room. Then, I found this." Angela holds up an orange bottles labelled with the word fluoxetine (Prozac) and her name on it, with white capsule pills in it. Velma simply looks down in shame and sighs. "I thought you took them this morning. Do you know how mad I was when I counted them and found out you weren't taking them?"

"I just didn't think it was a good idea to take my medication during a school day," she explains, "The side effects were drowsiness and I didn't want to sleep during class."

"I know what the side effects are, Velma," she says sternly, "I read them. I picked them up from the pharmacy myself. The doctor gave the prescription to me to _make sure_ you take them."

"I'm sorry."

Angela sighs and walks over to Velma, putting her hands on her shoulders. "I want you to be okay. Do you understand me? I know that it's hard for you to try to go back to how things were before. It's hard for me too. But we can work this out together. We can move on and be happy again. But I need you to cooperate. Okay?"

Velma looks behind her mom and sees the telephone hanging from the receiver, almost touching the floor. She then looks back at her mom. "Who called today?"

Angela sighs. "Mr. Owens. He wants me to stop by the museum tomorrow to pick up your dad's stuff from the office."

"Are you still working there?"

"Yeah. Mr. Owens has been holding off my work station for over a year now and wants me back to work ASAP. He says that if I'm not back at the museum tomorrow by nine o'clock, I'm officially fired."

"He can't do that. We just got back from New York. He should at least give us a week or two."

"Well, that's how assholes are. I need your help, Velma. I can't do this by myself. I need you to cooperate, okay? Not just for me, but yourself as well. Okay?"

Velma slowly nods and sighs. "Okay." She takes the orange bottle in her head, removes the white tap and takes one of the white capsules in the palm of her hand. She swallows it down with a glass of water. She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. She knew this was going to be difficult. Mr. Owens has always been an ass, not just a boss but as a person. But like her mom said, she needs to cooperate. And she'll do just that.

* * *

Shaggy looks at his family picture. They were so happy together. Him, his mother Wendy, his father Colton and Maggie. Now it's just him, his father and Maggie. It's been more than a week since his mother left the family. She never gave a reason why she was leaving nor did she bother to say goodbye to them. She just grabbed her things and left the apartment without anyone knowing. The only thing he saw when getting up early in the morning was his father sitting at the kitchen table crying while holding Wendy's wedding ring. After a few weeks, Shaggy assumes his dad had enough and decided to take his kids and bail. Escape from it all and return to his childhood home. It's not that bad, Shaggy realizes. Their nice house can use a little fixer upper but overall, it's homie. Crystal Cove High School is decent enough. He expect the first week to be horrible but it was just weird. A lot of people stared at him. He doesn't know if it's because of his skin, because of how he dressed or because he had a cross around his neck. At least he wasn't the only African-American in school. He found at least three or four more but for some reason, he didn't feel like talking to them. He didn't make any friends on the first day. He didn't expect to do so. Who wants to make friends with the new kid on the first day?

His stomach is starting to grumble. He gets up from the edge of his new (but dusty and old) bed and goes to the kitchen to find something to eat. There's no refrigerator here though so he takes out a box of Pizza Spins from the luggage, which gives him a great idea. He puts some of the pizza spins in his jacket's pocket.

"Hey, does anyone want pizza?" he asks.

Colton sets the groceries down on the kitchen counter and looks at Shaggy. Maggie is in the living room playing with her Little Miss Echo doll she calls Emily. Every time she talks to the doll, it repeats back everything she says. Why else it would be branded Little Miss Echo? "But I just bought groceries. I got chicken. It'll take me a few minutes to cook."

"Dad, that's frozen chicken," he says, "It will take hours to unfreeze and no offense, you're the slowest cooker in the house."

Colton sighs in defeat. "Good point."

"Where's the nearest pizza place, Dad?"

"I think Louie's Pizza Parlor is still open. They close at nine," he says, "It's just five minutes away near Crystal Cove High School. You can't miss it. You're going to see a big bright sign in front of the parlor."

"Thanks," Shaggy says as he takes the keys from the counter, "You don't mind if I borrow the car, do you?"

"If you scratch it, you pay for it," Colton says. "Oh and don't take the lane. It gets foggy in there. There's been a lot of accidents going down that lane so try to avoid going there."

Shaggy winces but nods in agreement. He already has a driver's license and knows how to drive the car. He can handle it. And he doesn't have to worry. He has no intentions of driving through any lanes having to do with accidents or fog. He takes the car keys and his wallet. "What pizza do you guys want?"

"Pepperoni," Colton says.

"Just cheese on mine," Maggie says.

The basics. Shaggy will get himself a pineapple and ham pizza with bacon, peppers, mushrooms and sausage.

"Does Emily want pizza too?" Shaggy asks and she nods. "I want to hear her say it."

Maggie whispers into the doll and the doll repeats what she said " _Yes_."

Shaggy laughs uncomfortably before heading out. _Cute by creepy_. _Really creepy_.

* * *

Fred and his "friend" Gary drink beer in the backyard while listening to James Brown's _I Feel Good._ Gary's Great Dane dog Savage Death is lying in his dog house whimpering sadly. Fred takes a look at Savage and sees that his bowl is empty. He can't remember when was the last time Gary fed his dog. Every time he visits his house, the dog's bowl is always empty.

"Brett, don't you ever feed that dog?" he asks.

"Nah, Mom feeds it," Gary says as he throws the empty can of beer into the grass with other empty beer cans piled up. "She won't be home until ten."

If his mom is not coming until ten, the poor dog is going to starve to death. _Selfish son of a bitch_. "Why don't you feed him? He's your dog, after all."

" _You_ feed him." He glares at Fred. "You seem to like him more than I do. In fact, why don't you keep the piece of shit?"

"My parents won't let me have a dog inside the house," Fred explains. He already explained it to Brett before. Fred's mom is a waitress at the Bloody Stake, the vampire-themed restaurant near the highway and his father is a mechanic and owns Jones' Auto Repairs. They both work late and Fred is always in soccer practice after school so it's a very plausible reason why he can't have a dog or any type of pet in general.

It's not the first time Gary asked him to take Savage Death off his hands. It's clear that Gary doesn't want Savage Death. He practically hates the dog. He said it himself. He told Fred that when his mom got Savage for Christmas, he tried to sell it for two hundred dollars to buy a Periscope game. He wanted a Periscope and not a dog. Gary did succeeded in selling Savage Death to the owner of the video arcade in exchange for the Periscope. However, his mom found out and was downright pissed. She gave the Periscope back to the arcade while Gary was at school and brought the dog home. She wants Gary to learn responsibility. He named the dog Savage Death to make others afraid of him but after visiting Gary's house a couple of times, Fred learned that the dog is all bark and no bite. It never attacks anyone directly.

"Whatever. Wanna play baseball?"

"Sure. Where's the bat?"

"In the house. I'll get it. Hold my beer." Gary gets up from the chair and heads for the porch. Savage Death whimpers pleadingly. He's hungry. Gary gets angry for it. "Shut the hell or I'll come back and hit you with the bat." The dog quiets down and Gary enters the house.

"Just feed the damn dog."

Gary ignores him, however. Fred sighs in frustration and throws Gary's beer away without a care in the world.

Fred looks Savage Death. The poor thing has his snout in the bowl, his tongue lapping at the silver. Fred sighs. _Poor old thing_. The door is not exactly old. According to Gary, Savage Death is four years old. It's barely a pup. How long will it be until Gary goes too far and ends up killing the dog? Not long. He already threatened to beat it with a bat. "I'm guessing you're sick of him too, huh?" he asks. The dog simply stares at him. "You want out?"

Fred looks over to the balcony for a moment. It will take Gary a few minutes to find the baseball bat in that messy room of his. Enough time. Fred gets up and walks over to Savage Death. The dog growls at him in the process.

* * *

Gary finds his baseball bat under the bed. He hears Fred suddenly scream and he quickly heads downstairs and bursts through the screen door to the backyard. He finds Fred on the ground with leather sleeve of his black jacket torn and a bloody bite mark on his right arm. Not only that. Savage Death is gone. He's no longer on his chain. Gary looks at Fred with wide eyes. Fred Jones is simply lying there laughing while moaning in pain at the same time.

"I was wrong, Savage does bite," Fred chuckles while holding his bloody arm to his chest.

"Dude, what the hell did you do!?"

"I _accidentally_ cut him loose," he says.

"Son of bitch! My mom will kill me!" Gary yells before running off after the dog. "Savage, you get back here, you bastard!"

The dog jumps over the picket fence, runs across the road and disappears into the forest.

* * *

Daphne listens to _All Right Now_ by Free on high volume while laying in bed and smoking one of the cigarettes from the bag Fred gave her at school, wearing black boy shorts a purple tank top that says Got A Little Dirt on My Boots. Her body feels fuzzy as she feels the effects of the cigarettes kicking in. White smoke fills the room but she doesn't even bother to get up to open the window. Even if she wanted to, she can't. Her mother doesn't want her opening the windows while she's smoking. She doesn't want the neighbours to know that one of the Blake is a smoker.

Her mom, Elizabeth Blake, enters the bedroom and marches over to Daphne's nightstand where the record player is, and turns off the record player. Daphne sits up from the bed and glares at her mom. "Seriously?"

"The neighbours don't need to hear your music, you know," she says. She's going to work tonight, as always. Daphne can tell by the way she's dressed, a nice dusty rose suit and a pearl necklace around her neck.

"Daphne, I'm heading for a meeting, so I might be a little late." Her mother works at a make-up department where they make powder that also serves as a foundation for oily skin.

"Don't worry. I won't wait up," Daphne says.

Her mother pinches her nose and makes a face that shows disgust. "You know, I think your room would smell a lot nicer if you quit those cigarettes."

"And my life would be a lot better if you weren't smelling like make-up every time you come home from work."

"We already talked about this. I work to pay for this house and to put food on the table while you stay out of trouble," she says, "Or would you rather spend the rest of your semester at your dad's place?"

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea. Unfortunately, Dad is at a trip in Arizona...with Charlie. If anything goes wrong, I'll just move in with Dawn in New York."

"Daphne, please, not today..."

Daphne remains silent, not looking at her mom directly in the eye. "You're going to be late for work...I'm done talking."

With a sigh, he mother leaves the bedroom. Daphne turns up the volume again and lays back on the bed where she continues smoking.

* * *

Shaggy takes a short cut, down a lane with dead trees at either side of the road. However, the moment he sees the fog up ahead, he slows the car down. The fog is thick. He can't see anything through it. He remembers what his dad said.

"Ah crap," he realizes, "Dad told me not to take this road."

However, he can't turn back because the road is too narrow. He'll have to put the car in reverse.

And he does exactly that. He puts the car in reverse to get out of the lane.

He's almost out of the lane when he sees something black run across the lane.

"Holy shit!" he hits the brakes and the car instantly stop with the tires screeching on the road loudly. He sits there, frozen in fear. He almost ran over something, or someone. He didn't know what it is but it ran fast behind his car. Either an animal or a crazy person walking on all fours.

Shaggy sits there for a few minutes, contemplating on whether he should get out of the car or not. After a few moments, he opens the glove compartment and takes out his dad's Smith & Wesson .45 and flashlight, and gets out of the car. He walks around to the back of the car and sees blood on the license plate and bumper. He also finds a piece of brown fur. _Oh god, I hit an animal._

He hears a rustling sound coming from the shrubs next to the road. Shaggy jumps and flashes the torchlight into the shrubs. Glowing eyes look back at him and a low growl can be heard. _Oh crap_. Shaggy pulls the safety cap from the Smith & Wesson and aims at the creature hidden in the shrubs.

A dog limps out of the shrubs. A Great Dane of brown fur with black spots wearing a red collar with spikes on it. Shaggy sees one of the dog's hind legs bent and bleeding.

"Oh god," he says, "I'm very sorry about that, bud. I didn't mean to hit you with my car. Are you okay?"

He approaches the dog but it growls at him. Shaggy takes a step back and raises his hand up. "Easy, boy, easy." He puts the gun in his jacket's pocket. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Well, I was going to shoot you but...you know. I won't shoot you."

The growling ceases and the dog starts whimpering while limping towards him, the hind leg hanging back.

"Aw man, that looks bad."

The dog sniffs at him then it starts sniffing and nibbling at one of the pocket of his jacket. This makes Shaggy laugh. "What are you doing?" He then remembers the mini pizza spins he put in his pocket before leaving the house. He fishes them out and offers it to the dog. "Is this what you're looking for? It's yours, if you want it."

The dog hesitates, sniffing at them for a moment, before eating them out of Shaggy's hand. Shaggy smiles and pets his head. "There we go. Easy, boy. You look like you haven't eaten in days." He takes a look at the dog's tag on the collar. "Savage Death? What kind of name is that for a dog?"

Shaggy looks around for any signs of the owner but there's no one around. He assumes the dog got loose and ran away from home. With a name like Savage Death, who wouldn't? He can't leave him out here by himself. He won't survive one night with an injured leg. Not to mention that another car can pass by and run him over.

"Come on, boy, I'll take you to my home," he says. "Can you walk?"

The dog simply stares at him. Shaggy is surprised to see an actual expression on the dog's face. It's like he's saying _'Are you stupid or something?'_.

"Okay, I guess not," he says and picks up the big Great Dane from the ground, carrying bridal style. The dog protests but doesn't try to bite him. He's heavy but Shaggy has carried heavier weight. He then carries the dog back to the car and puts him in the back seat.

What Shaggy doesn't know is that he probably saved the dog's life as a figure in the mist watches him drive out of the lane.

* * *

Velma wakes up in the middle of the night (3 a.m., to be exact) with the urge to pee. She gets up from her bed, wearing a white shirt and orange pajama pants, and goes to the bathroom where she spends a good minute emptying her bladder and her head dropping tiredly every once in awhile. After drying up, she flushes the toilet and pulls her pants back up. Feeling that her lips and tongue are dry, she decides to go to the kitchen to get a glass of water before heading back to bed.

She goes to the refrigerator and stops for a moment to look at the picture, pinned by a purple flower magnet, of her, her mother and her father together on Christmas Day. She has never been a big fan of Christmas. She sometimes believes Christmas are simply for religious people, and she and her mother are not very religious. They did have a pastor say a few kind words at the funeral but they don't go to church. Velma only went to church once and she felt extremely uncomfortable before surrounded by churchgoers. She felt she was in some sort of cult where everyone was chanting. She never went to church again after that. If she even wants to get in touch with the Big Man Upstairs, she'll do it in the comfort of her home. She's still skeptical about the existence of God and his son Jesus, and other Biblical beings mentioned in the "good book". Despite her disbeliefs, she enjoyed Christmas with her parents. Opening presents, decorating the house and tree, watching Christmas specials on TV and drinking hot chocolate by the fireplace with tiny marshmallows on top. The only thing that's missing is snow. But Velma never saw snow fall in California.

Now, she doubts Christmas will ever be celebrated in this house again since her father is no longer here.

She opens the refrigerator door to get a bottle of water. She suddenly hears something strange behind her that makes her tense up and the hair on the back of her neck standing up. The same breathing and deep wheezing she heard at the library earlier. Eyes widened, Velma slowly turns around to see a man standing close to her. The water bottle slips from her hand and bounces off the tiled floor.

His shoulders are slouched, his shirt is covered in fresh blood and a large bloody gash is marred over his face and cranium with his left eye missing and his nose crushed and busted. His face is bloody and deformed.

Velma starts shaking in terror. Mainly, because she knows who it is despite his facial deformity. "Dad?"

His hand reaches out towards her while still making wheezing sounds. Velma's eyes roll back and she drops unconscious on the tiled floor.

* * *

 **End of Chapter 2**


	3. Announcement

**Sorry for the absence, guys, it's been a little out of control lately. With Maria, college, my parents' divorce, my writing and my own depression, it's been overwhelming and it put me off from writing for awhile. But now that I'm back, I'm going to try to update. I can't promise you when exactly I'm going to update but rest assure, I will update and post a new chapter soon.**


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